My Festival: Zach Zucker
The New York-based clown on the power of friendship, cracking up at a one-star review, and accidentally causing a riot at Late ‘n’ Live.
There are thousands of shows in Edinburgh this month. Please tell us why we should come and see yours.
Stamptown has always been, and will always continue to be, a showcase of the greatest artists in the world coming together – and against all odds – putting together a spectacle unlike any other. Each show rides the line of disaster and masterpiece, and the only way to know if we’re going to stick the landing is if you come and see it for yourself. The show was created as a response to traditional comedy bookers saying what we did “wouldn’t work” or “wasn’t comedy” and here we are ten years later with the greatest show at the Festival for the past decade. Stamptown is for the kids, it’s for the fans, it’s for our friends and it’s ultimately a lovefest for anyone and everyone who wants to join the fun.
What will we learn from your show that we didn’t know before?
No matter how little you prepare or refuse to do the bare minimum to create the safeguards necessary to make sure your show doesn’t go off the rails, the power of friendship will always guide you through! Nah, I’m kidding, we put a ton of work in behind the scenes to make it feel like we’re flying by the seat of our pants but when you’re onstage with a bunch of people who love each other it’s impossible to fail.
Who or what was the biggest inspiration for your show?
With such a rich history of geniuses lending their talents to the show, it’s nearly impossible to boil it down to one singular person, but one individual always sticks out to me, and that’s Emma Maye Gibson, AKA Betty Grumble.She’s the most polarising performance artist I’ve ever had the privilege of working with - it’s an even greater privilege to call her my friend - and ferociously explores the depths of what’s possible onstage.
She tackles material and subject matter I dare to be brave enough to approach and she manages to do it all with a generous, open heart. I’ve never encountered someone who cares for all bodies with the same level of love and respect that she does. She’s a fearless warrior who I would follow into battle anywhere, and every time I see her onstage I leave hopeful, soul nourished, with a new perspective on life that stays with me wherever I go. I love her and I’m so lucky to be alive while she is.
Enjoying The Scotsman's coverage of the Edinburgh festivals? For just £2 a month you can get unlimited access to scotsman.com plus 2-for-1 Fringe tickets. For details visit www.scotsman.com/subscriptions
What’s the best review you’ve ever had, and the worst?
We got a one-star review from Scottish Field back in 2023 from a journalist named Dick Bath – after receiving mostly five-star reviews – and that was one of the more gratifying moments of our careers. To his credit, he totally saw the worst show of the run that year but the way he hated the show made us crack up. I hope he knows how much we appreciate him and I hope he comes back to the show!
Who or what are you most excited about seeing this year?
I can’t wait to see Viggo Venn’s new solo show which is his highly anticipated follow-up hour after winning Britain’s Got Talent. It’s a completely silent clown show that was created with movement specialist Brian Loofus and co-produced by Gary Cramshaw of Lightworks Entertainment and Magic and Brewery, two people I respect immensely and hope to work with in the future. He’s the greatest clown alive right now and I can’t wait to see what he puts together! I’m also hyped to see the debut hour of US comedian Shane Torres at Assembly, and UK fan favourite Huge Davies over at Monkey Barrel.
Who do you most like spending time with in Edinburgh?
My friends Qasim Salam and Lily Dawford. The Fringe is incredibly difficult and isn’t worth doing if you don’t have great friends to share it with, and boy am I lucky to have friends like these two! They are both at the top of their fields as producers and lighting designers, and while you could argue it would be easier to just go to bed early instead of staying up till 7am every night, it’s hard to go home when you’ve got four weeks of unlimited time with your favourite people.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people.
Zach Zucker isn’t my real name, it’s a stage name. My real name is actually Tony Balogna. Kidding, my family is from Spain, my real name is Antonio Balonio and I’ve made it a point to be more open about that. I’m proud of my roots and I don’t want to hide anymore!
What are the best and worst things that have happened to you at a festival?
Best thing that ever happened was accidentally causing a riot at Late ‘n’ Live back in 2018 after we played It’s Coming Home for 35 minutes straight to close out the night. We may or may not have allegedly mistimed an acid trip for one of my comedy partner’s last night at the festival, and we allegedly might have started to feel it as we hit the stage. The crowd heckled us to get naked within a minute of being there and the rest was history. We had to be snuck out of the venue 45 minutes after the show ended because some unruly red-faced drunken Brits couldn’t handle the heat but we made plenty of lifelong fans that night. Shouts out Frehdi, Rich and Katy for having our backs!
What’s the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?
Don’t ask questions you aren’t ready to hear the answers for.
Thanks for the interview! We’d like to buy you a drink. Where are we going and what are we drinking?
I don’t drink during the Fringe otherwise I lose my voice but my buddies Jonny Woolley and Dylan Woodley love to drink the finest lagers Edinburgh has to offer, as long as they’re less than three quid. I would tell the world where we like to hang during the festival but we can’t have everyone cramping our style!
Stamptown, Assembly George Square, 9:50pm, until 30 August
The Scotsman’s arts newsletter is now sent twice a week - subscribe today
Enjoying the Arts & Culture journalism on scotsman.com? Make it easier to find by selecting us as a preferred Google source
Want the latest Scottish headlines sent directly to your phone? Sign up to our new WhatsApp channel here
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.